Moderate Flipping Rod

[DenhamBruce]

Wondering if the guys on here can help me in my search for a good moderate action flipping rod as I'm having trouble finding a rod with enough flex to load up deep into the blank while fishing close quarters with straight braid.

 

I just bought an Edge Delta 777 and have been left feeling disappointed with my purchase. Its rated down to 1/2oz and it was described to me over the phone from an employee at Edge that this rod was soft enough to where it could be used to throw crankbaits and such but after fishing it I don't think that could be further from the truth. This rod is a broomstick by my standards and 1oz baits barely load it enough when pitching baits. I assumed it would have enough flex for what I'm looking for but that just isn't the case so now I'm back searching for another rod.

 

At this point I feel as though I need a rod with enough tip to comfortably flip baits down to a 1/2oz while still having the backbone to horse fish out of the pads. I'm fishing up in the Pacific Northwest so I wont be horsing 7lbers of the mats or flipping a 1 1/2oz tungsten, but I will need a rod with enough backbone to horse out a 3lber should it get stuck deep in the lily pad stems. I will probably never be fishing weights over 1oz and will most often be using a 3/4oz tungsten. This is where I feel a moderate action would help me out because it would allow a heavy power rod to have some play in the tip while and allow me to pitch lighter weights.

 

So question is, are there any rods that fit this description?? As for price I normally look for rods priced just around $100 but it seems my options are limited for the kind of rod I desire so I'm willing to spend some extra money to get the rod I want. If anyone on here can relate to what I'm talking about and has a rod or two in mind that might fit my needs I would love to hear what it is and how it fishes.

Thanks

[Kidflex]

Hammer 7’3” hvy or 7’3 xhvy. Strong and super light. Nice bend along the blank and can do what you need it to do. 

[Fishaholic7lbs]

I have a 7’3” heavy falcon bucoo sr.. It is perfect to me for flipping zoom speed craws and z craws with a 1/4 ounce weight.. the tip is more like a med heavy but its got some lower end to pull fish out of cover.. Another rod that comes into mind is a skeet reese 7’6” heavy cover rod.. it’s actually my jig rod for fishing deep but it does have more of a mod fast bend to it. Both at 100$ ?

[DenhamBruce]

Perhaps I should have specified that I think 7'6" is a minimum in terms of length. However, looking at Falcon and Hammer rods it does seem they have a few in that length sporting a Moderate action. Thanks for the insight!

[Mikeltee]

Kistler Zbones are rated moderate. I would imagine it has something to do with the lightweight blanks (NFC X-ray I believe) they use and they utilize more of the rod with any sort of weight on them. Call them and they can answer. I am not sure if you want to drop $400 for a rod, but if sensitivity is your bag, I think you would be very satisfied with a xbone if they indeed load like you want them to. There is not enough reviews on the to tell so its definitely worth a call. I would assume detecting bites on the drop would be valuable information to have when punching, but I dont have a boat so would not know. I can see why braid would be key for your technique and why you want a little give when setting the hook and keeping the fish pinned.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You’re confusing action and power. A moderate rod will not necessarily be softer, it just initially bends deeper into the length. Consider this when comparing. 

[DenhamBruce]

I understand the difference between action and power. I want a moderate action flipping rod because I feel as though that will actually give a heavier rated rod some life. I'm tired of fishing broom sticks that don't load up on the cast or flex on a hook set. I understand true fast action rods are important when fishing with mono due to stretch, but I only fish braid. Don't get for the life of me how people flip and punch up close with XHeavy fast action rods and braid because there is just no give at all which I feel leads to too much tension between you and the fish.

 

As for those Kistler rods I'd say thats exactly the kind of rod I'm looking for and you're spot on in that recommendation. They are a little bit more than I can afford at this point so I think I'm going to purchase a blank from NFC and tie it up for half the cost. Plus that will leave me the benefits of making it spiral wrapped and adding some weight to the butt. I think this will turn into a rod I will want to hang on to.

[Mikeltee]

If you dont like it I'll buy it. Let us know how it goes and post some pics of this masterpiece. I got a feeling you will love it and will be purchasing more of these blanks in the near future for all your braid applications. You make a good point about the broomsticks and braid.

 

The other day I found a mistake on a Tatula Elite AGS 7'6" heavy flipping stick. It's a $300 and I got it for $170. I just did a little googling and came across this article. Apparently Ish Monroe feels the same about mod action and flipping and punching:

https://www.westernbass.com/article/3-rods-heavy-cover-situations-ish-monroe-bass-fishing-daiwa

 

Now Diawa lists this rod as fast and the 8' punching rod as EF but after reading the article I believe it's not the proper rating. I will have my rod next week. If you can hold out I'll let ya know its action. My other finesse AGS is stupid sensitive. I assume these are as well. Regardless I could not pass up that deal/mistake.

 

Google Ish Monroe flipping rod and watch the videos where he talks about them.

[Jimmy Buffet]

@DenhamBruce you should check out my post I made yesterday. It’s my one and only post so it won’t be hard to find (I made my account yesterday). 

I think it will be beneficial to you. I’ve looked at every rod from every company pretty much in search of a Heavy, Moderate-Fast rod for use in the same application your looking for. I posted a list of rods with the specs and prices. Most of the rods I posted have a Heavy, Moderate or Extra Heavy, Moderate offering in the same line. And what I’ve found is that if a company makes moderate actions rods, they have that action available in all of their price points. Some companies stick with Fast actions in pretty much all their Heavy power rod offerings

 

in your price point, I think the Dobyns Fury line will be your best bet. Or an iRod Genesis 2 if you’re willing to spend $150.

 

But go check out the post if you want, it will help you out! 

[Mikeltee]

What I have found with the sub $250 rods is that anything over medium power is pretty much a broomstick. I know my 2 Furys are. 795sb and 744c. My Champs rock and I love them for their intended purpose. I think you would want to invest some money in any non-moving bait rod. Thats my experience anyways and like I said MH and up. Even my Ugly Stik ML is super sensitive.

[DenhamBruce]

At this point it seems like its either spend $250 or above on a really nice rod with the action I want or purchase a blank and tie one up myself to save a little coin. Its articles like that one from Ish Monroe as well as some videos I've seen of Greg Hackney talking about heavy sticks with a moderate action that peaked my interest in finding a rod like that.

 

JimmyB I saw that thread you started and thought to myself well isn't that ironic! To be honest the Fury or Irod would both be great options but I'm afraid neon green just isn't my color ?

[Mikeltee]

Spin one yourself. I am not impressed with the Ish flipping rod. It's way too butt heavy and feels dead in my hands. I ran a 1/2oz swim bait with a 3.8 trailer on it and I felt that it didn't load well. I did catch a few and of course felt the bite, but I wasnt impressed with the sensitivity at all. Even with a swim bait I can feel when I brush up on some weeds but with this I didn't. I also didnt fish with my rod tip up which may have something to do with it. I guess I cant give it a fair shot until I do some bottom contact work with it. It's so dang uncomfortable that I dont see myself using it much. On a positive note it had no trouble setting the mammoth hook of my Seibert jig and the fish was surely pinned. A couple even jumped and it handled it like a champ.